Indian Shag: a new bird record for Nepal

Ornithologists confirm yet another new species of bird for Nepal. Indian Shag is the name of the new bird that has been reported from Koshi Tappu by ornithologists Suchit Basnet and Badri Chaudhary. It is known as Phalacrocorax fuscicollis to the scientific world. The bird was first sighted on 19 March 2009 by Mr Basnet and Mr Chaudhary and subsequently photographed on 26 March 2009 in the same area by a visiting birder Hannah Philips. The bird was located along one of the main channels of Koshi River. Mr Suchit Basnet, who is also the Chair of Nepal Rare Birds Committee shares that 'With the finding of Indian Shag in Nepal, the current bird total for Nepal stands as 865 species.'

Dr Hem Sagar Baral, Chair of Nepalese Ornithological Union and Senior Ornithologist is of the view that with the breaching of Koshi dam, Indian Shag might have entered Nepal in pursuit of temporarily increased fish stock at Koshi river. Several searches this winter and early this year have failed to locate the species again at Koshi Tappu indicating that the birds might have returned back to India, the most likely origin of this species.

Indian Shag mainly occurs in India with some records from Sri Lanka and southeast Asia. In India, the bird seems to be highly localized and found in small numbers. The bird is intermediate in size compared to Great and Little Cormorants and is a specialized fish eater. The plumage of the bird is all black except during breeding when they get some silver-grey feathers on the body.